Saturday, June 28, 2014

World News: Sudan woman released from prison, re-arrested is safe at U.S. Embassy

A Sudanese woman arrested a day after a local court overturned her death sentence for adultery was re-arrested on charges of falsifying travel documents, according to a report by Bloomberg. Now, Bloomberg's most recent report says she is safe at a U.S. Embassy.

The case and trial of Meriam Yehia Ibrahim, 27, made global news after the woman denounced her Islamic religion and proclaimed Christianity and marriage to an American man. Members of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service detained Ibrahim and her husband, Daniel Wani, and two children at the airport in Sudan's capital Khartoum as she tried to board a flight to leave the country.Bloomberg reported that Ibrahim was using a valid travel document issued by the embassy of South Sudan. She holds a valid marriage certificate, Visa and she was issued an emergency travel document because of her plans to move to America. Ibrahim was released from jail on June 23 when an appeals court canceled the death sentence she received in May. The case sparked condemnation from governments including the United States and UK as well as rights groups like Amnesty International. Ibrahim was originally arrested in August after men who said they were from her father's side of the family reportedly accused her of adultery because of her marriage to Wani, who is a Christian. The apostasy charge was added when she followed the Christian faith of her Ethiopian mother and was never a Muslim, contradicting the law that considers Sudanese children to share their father's religion.According to Bloomberg's recent story, Sudan's general prosecutor approved bail for Meriam Ibrahim and she is now at the U.S. mission in the capital with her husband Daniel Wani and their two children. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Ibrahim and her family are in an unspecified "safe location" and the Sudanese government has given assurances of the "family's continued safety." However, under the bail conditions, Ibrahim won't be able to leave Sudan until the case over the charges of forging travel documents is concluded.